On May 24 the Parliament called on the Commission to "improve existing EU legislation to close the gender pay gap, including stricter sanctions on employers"

In the text, adopted by a qualified majority, MEPs called on the Commission to propose new measures to reduce inequality in pay between the sexes through all relevant EU policies and national programmes. They also asked national governments to step up cooperation and develop new ideas to tackle the gender pay gap.

On average, women across the EU earn 16.4% less than men. Progress in closing the gender pay gap is extremely slow, and in some member states it has even widened, notes the text. The causes are complex and often interrelated. They include discrimination, highly segregated labour markets, an undervaluing of "women's" work, tradition and stereotyping, not least in the choice of educational paths, says the text.